New faces greet 49ers as camp opens

Mark Soltau, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, July 14, 1996

SANTA CLARA - For most organizations, winning a fourth consecutive division title would be cause for celebration, especially after losing both coordinators, an All-Pro running back and cornerback before the season.

But the 49ers aren't like most organizations. Anything short of the Super Bowl is considered an off-year.

That's why management and players are still smarting over a 27-17 loss to Green Bay in the NFC playoff semifinals. Losing on the road in bad weather or in a noisy domed stadium is one thing, but to fall on your home turf is tough to digest.

"It leaves a real bad taste in your mouth," said vice president Dwight Clark, who will be in Rocklin on Wednesday to greet rookies, free agents and selected veterans for the start of training camp. "It's not necessarily the team we lost to; it's that we lost in the playoffs. Here, that's not acceptable. People expect more."

During the post-mortem, Clark, owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., team president Carmen Policy and coach George Seifert huddled to analyze the demise of the defending world champions.

"It was like a wake around here," Policy said. "No one wants to go through that again."

Policy had bad vibes even before last season. First, he had to find replacements for offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, running back Ricky Watters and cornerback Deion Sanders. Then Policy had to deal with contract holdouts by All-Pro defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield and first-round draft pick J.J. Stokes. When the wide receiver finally signed, he quickly fractured a finger and was ineffective until midseason.

"We had this eerie, foreboding feeling when we started training camp," said Policy. "It was as though the sense of commitment and excitement that had been there the year before was missing. Everybody said the right thing; everybody went through the motions the way they should. But you could see there was a significant spark missing."

That was apparent after a tough 18-17 loss to Indianapolis in the sixth game. The following day, kicker Doug Brien was waived.

The 49ers face a similar transition in 1996. Four new coaches join the staff, including former head coach Bill Walsh, the architect of three San Francisco Super Bowl championships. Walsh returns as an administrative assistant to Seifert and will work closely with second-year offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Other newcomers include Matt Cavanaugh (quarterbacks), who played with the 49ers from 1983-85; Johnnie Lynn (defensive backs); and George Stewart (special teams).

New helmets won't be the only on-field change for the 49ers, who will open with at least nine different starters from the playoff loss to Green Bay. The biggest face lift will be on offense, where six players have either left, retired or changed positions.

Stokes, who worked out with perennial All-Pro Jerry Rice during the offseason, replaces retired John Taylor at split end. Versatile Kirk Scrafford moves to left tackle in place of Steve Wallace, who was waived. Left guard Jesse Sapolu, the elder statesman of the team (14th year), returns to center in place of Bart Oates, who has retired, with free agent Ray Brown (Washington) taking over at left guard. A four-way battle looms at right guard among Derrick Deese, Rod Milstead, Chris Dalman and newcomer Eugene Chung (Jacksonville).

Quarterback Steve Young will also have new company in the backfield with the addition of free agents Johnny Johnson and Tommy Vardell. Johnson, a former San Jose State star, sat out last season after four productive seasons with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. He'll be pushed by undersized sixth-year man Derek Loville, who did everything asked of him last season, catching 87 passes.

Vardell, an ex-Stanford standout, is thrilled to be back in the Bay Area after a rough four-year stay in Cleveland. A former No. 1 draft choice, Vardell missed most of last season with a knee injury but is fully recovered and seems a natural for the 49ers' pass-oriented offense. The fullback job is his until William Floyd returns. After sustaining a career-threatening knee injury last year, Floyd is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation, but the team isn't counting on him until at least midseason.

Defensively, Seifert's biggest chore will be replacing Pro Bowl cornerback Eric Davis, who signed with Carolina during the offseason. Davis led the team with 22 passes defensed, and the heir apparent is third-year man Tyronne Drakeford. The latter believes he's ready to become a starter but must demonstrate consistency. He'll be tested by veterans Steve Israel and James Williams.

The 49ers expect improvement up front with the addition of free agents Chris Doleman and Roy Barker. The 6-foot-5, 275-pound Doleman, who excels at rushing the passer, replaces retired Rickey Jackson at the elephant position, and Barker has the edge at right end over incumbent Dennis Brown.

Unlike last season, the 49ers don't have the luxury of jelling slowly. First, they have one fewer exhibition game (four instead of five), and second, they open the season with five straight games against NFC West opponents. With that in mind, Seifert doesn't have much time to get his team together for New Orleans on Sept. 1.

"I sense that things are more like they were back in '94," said Policy, recalling how the 49ers rebounded from back-to-back losses to Dallas in the NFC Championship Game to win their fifth Super Bowl title.

"It's not only me saying this, and hearing it and seeing it, but I think everyone within the organization is witnessing this, and becoming part of it and getting excited by it and buying into it.

"We all realize that we were not as sharp in '95 as we were in '94. In this business, there's no room for a letdown if you expect to be a champion."

NOTES: Rookies must report by 6 p.m. Wednesday and will practice Thursday at 8:45 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. Veterans are due by 6 p.m. Saturday. The first full-contact workout in pads is July 23. . . . Free agent TE Adrian Cooper, expected to back up Brent Jones, recently underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will miss about 10 days of camp. . . . Clark expects all 81 players to report on time, including Floyd. All but the seven rookie draft choices are signed, and Clark is hopeful the newcomers will be locked up before the first practice.&lt;